Portable containment units and methods for making same

ABSTRACT

Portable containment units and methods for making same are described herein. The portable containment unit can include a liner containing a geotextile material and having an outer perimeter. A wall assembly can be adhered to an upper surface of the geotextile material on the outer perimeter of the liner. The wall assembly can include an open-cell foam material. An elastomeric material can be coated onto the liner and the wall assembly to form the portable containment unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/385,096 filed Sep. 8, 2016. The above-mentioned application is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates in general to spill containment units and methods for containing liquids. In particular, the present disclosure relates to portable, resilient spill containment units.

BACKGROUND

There are many locations in which liquid spills can occur. For example, industrial processes, machines, and motorized vehicles utilize many types of liquids, such as oil, diesel, gasoline, antifreeze, coolants, and other chemicals. These liquids are usually deemed toxic and classified as pollutants by various governmental or regulatory agencies. As such, portable containments are needed that can be deployed in various locations in the field to prevent the release of these liquids into the surrounding environment. Several portable devices are known in the art for containing spills. These portable devices include “duck ponds,” which can be flexible and/or foldable for enabling quick deployment and compact storage.

A typical duck pond spill berm includes a 10-20 gallon capacity containment that is oftentimes made from a PVC vinyl that wraps or encloses a closed cell polyethylene foam berm. The foam berm is usually formed from several foam pieces, each having a rounded, curved, or flat upper portion, that are arranged adjacent to one another. These adjacent pieces are oftentimes disconnected from each other to make the duck pond flexible and/or collapsible. The vinyl is typically heat welded at its seams to complete the spill containment. These welded seams can fail, exposing the polyethylene foam and rendering the duck pond inadequate for holding liquid spills. Also, spraying a polymeric coating onto the foam pieces can be uneconomical or impracticable due to the shape of the upper portions, which can result in a non-uniform or irregular coating of the polymeric material onto the foam. Moreover, the rigid, closed foam structure of the polyethylene foam can crush when a heavy force is applied, such as being driven over by a car or truck.

Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus or method that addresses one or more of the above-described issues, and/or one or more other issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable containment unit surrounding a bucket, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the portable containment unit of FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3A is an exploded top view of a wall assembly of the portable containment unit of FIGS. 1 and 2, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the wall assembly of FIG. 3A, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a top view of wall segment of the wall assembly of FIGS. 3A and 3B, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4B is an end elevational view of a wall segment of the wall assembly of FIGS. 3A and 3B, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the portable containment unit, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the portable containment unit having a wall assembly that is compressed by a wheel of an automobile, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method for forming the portable containment unit, according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a system is generally referred to by the reference numeral 100 and includes a portable containment unit 102 including a liner 104 that extends over the ground surface. A liquid filled bucket 106 is shown positioned on top of the liner 104 and a wall assembly 108 of the portable containment unit 102 is shown positioned around the bucket 106 so that the portable containment unit 102 surrounds the bucket 106, preventing the liquid from the bucket from contacting the ground surface. The liquid filled bucket 106 can be replaced with a device, system, apparatus, or container that is capable of spilling or leaking liquid from the device, system, apparatus, or container to the ground surface.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the portable containment unit 102 of FIG. 1. The portable containment unit 102 can have any suitable size and shape. For example, the portable containment unit 102 can have a triangular, square, rectangular, circular, oval, hexagonal, or octagonal footprint and can be from about 1 foot, about 2 feet or about 3 feet to about 4 feet, about 6 feet, about 8 feet, about 12 feet, about 20 feet, or about 50 feet or more in its largest dimension. In several exemplary embodiments, the portable containment unit 102 has a square or rectangular footprint, and ranges from about 1 foot to about 20 feet in length, and from about 1 foot to about 20 feet in width. In several exemplary embodiments, the overall dimensions of the portable containment unit 102 are about 3 feet by about 3 feet.

FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of the wall assembly 108 of the portable containment unit 102 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The wall assembly 108 can have any suitable number of wall segments (four are shown 302, 304, 306, 308). In one or more exemplary embodiments, the wall assembly 108 can have more than four wall segments, such as 6 segments to 12 or more segments. The wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 can be affixed to one another in any suitable manner to form the wall assembly 108. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 each have first and second ends 310 and 312, respectively. The first and second ends 310, 312 can be mirror images of each other so that the first end 310 of wall segment 302 can mate or align with the corresponding first or seconds 310, 312 of wall segment 304, for example. The wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 can be affixed or attached to each other in any suitable manner. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 can be attached to each other via one or more of glues, epoxies, adhesives, one-side or two-sided tapes, staples, nails, screws, bolts or the like. FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the wall assembly 108 of FIG. 3A, with each of the wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 affixed to one another as disclosed herein. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the wall assembly 108 can be a one-piece or one-segment structure.

FIG. 4A is a top view of wall segment 302 of the wall assembly 108 of FIGS. 3A and 3B. As shown in FIG. 4A, the wall segment 302 can have an inner side wall 402, an outer side wall 404, the first end 310 and the second end 312. The inner side wall 402, outer side wall 404, first end 310 and second end 312 can each be planar or substantially planar. In one or more embodiments (not shown) the inner side wall 402, outer side wall 404, first end 310 and second end 312 can each be curved or arcuate. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first end 310 and the second end 312 can each form an angle α with the inner side wall 402. The angle α can be from about 90°, about 110°, about 125°, or about 130° to about 140°, about 145°, about 160°, or about 175°. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the angle α can be about 127° to about 143°, about 130° to about 140°, about 132° to about 138°, for example about 135°. When angle α is less than 135 degrees, a suitable corner segment (not shown) can be adapted to fit between the first end 310 of segment 302 and second end 312 of segment 304.

FIG. 4B is an end elevational view of wall segment 302 of the wall assembly 108 of FIGS. 3A and 3B. As shown in FIG. 4A, the wall segment 302 can have an upper portion 406, a base portion 408, the inner side wall 402 and the outer side wall 404. The distance between the upper portion 406 and the base portion 408 can form a height of the wall segment 302 and/or the wall assembly 108. The height of the wall assembly 108 can be at least about 0.5 inch, at least about 1 inch, at least about 1.5 inch, at least about 2 inches, or at least about 3 inches. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the wall assembly 108 can have a height of about 0.1 inch to about 10 inches, about 0.7 inch to about 7 inches, about 1.5 inches to about 6 inches, or about 3 inches to about 5 inches.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the base portion 408 is adjacent to and/or abuts the inner side wall 402 and/or the outer side wall 404. As shown in FIG. 4B, a first corner portion 412 and a second corner portion 410 are positioned between the upper portion 406 and the first and second side walls 402, 404, respectively, forming a chamfered or beveled like shape. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the first corner portion 412 has a width that extends from the first side wall 402 (at an angle β with the inner side wall 402) to upper portion 406. First corner portion 412 has a length that extends from second end 312 to first end 310. The angle β can be from about 95°, about 110°, about 125°, or about 130° to about 140°, about 145°, about 160°, or about 175°. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the angle β can be between about 127° and about 143°, such as between about 130° and about 140°, such as between about 132° to about 138°, for example about 135°. This arrangement of the first corner portion 412, the second corner portion 410, the upper portion 406 and the first and second side walls 402, 404 with respect to each other permits the application of a uniform or substantially uniform coating of polymeric material onto the foam by means of any suitable spray equipment.

Corner portion 410 and 412 may have any suitable geometric shape. Geometric shapes include arcuate, jagged, and flat. In one or more exemplary embodiments (not shown), the first corner portion 412 and/or the second corner portion 410 are one or more arcuate portions that connect the upper portion 406 with the first and/or second side walls 402, 404. In one or more exemplary embodiments (not shown), the upper portion 406 can be adjacent to, abut, directly connect, or otherwise extend from the first and/or second side walls 402, 404, where the first corner portion 412 and/or the second corner portion 410 are not present.

The liner 104 can include or be formed from any suitable material(s). In several exemplary embodiments, the liner 104 includes a fabric layer adapted to allow an elastomer coating on at least one side thereof. In one or more exemplary embodiments the liner 104 includes one or more layers of a geotextile, blown fabric, felt, and/or other type of fabric with some degree of permeability so that an elastomeric coating can sufficiently adhere to the fabric, forming a solid, fluid impermeable layer. In several exemplary embodiments, the liner 104 includes a foam material, such as a polymeric foam. The foam material can include an open cell or closed cell foam with some degree of permeability so that the elastomeric coating sufficiently adheres to the foam to form a solid, fluid impermeable layer. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the foam material can be or include polyurethane foam, polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride foam, polyimide foam, silicone foam, or microcellular foam or any suitable combinations thereof. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the liner 104 can be or include one or more sheets or layers of suitable polymeric materials. The polymeric materials can include one or more of polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyam ides, polycarbonate, polyurethanes, polyester, polyvinyl chloride.

The liner 104 can have any suitable thickness. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the liner 104 can have a thickness of from about 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.5 mm, 1 mm, about 2 mm, or about 4 mm to about 8 mm, about 10 mm, about 15 mm, about 25 mm, or about 50 mm or more. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the geotextile layer of the liner 104 can be a double burnished non-woven geotextile material having a density from about 1 ounce per square yard (oz/yd²), about 2 oz/yd², about 4 oz/yd², about 6 oz/yd², about 8 oz/yd², about 12 oz/yd², about 16 oz/yd², or about 20 oz/yd² or more. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the geotextile layer can be a woven geotextile material having a density from about 1 oz/yd², about 2 oz/yd², about 4 oz/yd², or about 6 oz/yd² to about 8 oz/yd², about 12 oz/yd², about 16 oz/yd², or about 20 oz/yd² or more.

The wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 can include or be formed from any suitable material(s). In several exemplary embodiments, the wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 include a foam material, such as a polymeric foam. In an exemplary embodiment, the wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 include a foam material and an elastomeric coating sprayed thereon. The foam material can include an open cell foam structure so that the elastomeric coating sufficiently adheres to the foam to form a solid, fluid impermeable layer. The foam material can be or include a flexible foam and/or a rigid foam. As used herein, the term “flexible foam” refers to a set foam material that a foam that does not rupture when a 20×2.5×2.5 cm piece of the foam is wrapped around a 2.5 cm mandrel rotating at a uniform rate of 1 lap per second at 15-25° C., and as used herein, the term “rigid foam” means a foam that ruptures when a 20×2.5×2.5 cm piece of the foam is wrapped around a 2.5 cm mandrel rotating at a uniform rate of 1 lap per second at 15-25° C.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the foam material is a flexible foam, such as a memory foam. The foam material can include one or more flexible foams such as sorbothane foam, neoprene foam, polyurethane foam, and/or polyester foam, one or more rigid foams such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) and/or polyisocyanurate foams, and any combination thereof. The foam material can have any suitable density. For example, the foam material can have a density of about 0.5 pounds per square foot (lb/ft³), about 1 lb/ft³, or about 1.5 lb/ft³ to about 2 lb/ft³, about 2.5 lb/ft³, about 3 lb/ft³, about 5 lb/ft³, or about 8 lb/ft³ or more. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the foam material has a density from about 1.5 lb/ft³ to about 2.5 lb/ft³.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the portable containment unit 102. The wall assembly 108 can be attached to the liner 104 in any suitable manner to provide a base structure 109. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the wall assembly 108 can be attached to the liner 104 via one or more glues, epoxies, adhesives, one-side or two-sided tapes, staples, nails, screws, bolts or the like. As shown in FIG. 5, the wall assembly 108 is attached to the liner 104 via an adhesive layer 504. The adhesive layer 504 can include one or more rigid and/or flexible glues or adhesives. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the adhesive layer 504 is a fluid permeable adhesive or fluid impermeable adhesive that can be a thermoplastic film, a thermoplastic liquid or gel, an adhesive foam, and/or a two-sided tape. The fluid permeable and non-fluid permeable adhesives can include one or more of natural rubbers, synthetic rubbers, polybutadienes, or polyacrylates or any combination thereof.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the adhesive layer 504 can be applied in a manner that allows air or other fluids to pass between the liner material and the open cell foam network of the wall assembly 108 so as to permit the wall assembly 108 to freely collapse and expand upon application and release of an external force or pressure. In a similar manner, the adhesives used to join wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 together to form the wall assembly 108 can be applied to allow air or other fluids to pass from wall segment 302 to wall segment 304, for example. The adhesive layer 504 can be applied in a non-uniform or irregular manner to permit fluid communication between the various wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 and/or liner 104 and the wall assembly 108. An example of an external force being applied to the wall assembly 108 is shown in FIG. 6, which is a perspective view of the portable containment unit 102 showing its wall assembly 108 being compressed by a vehicle wheel 602 of a vehicle 604.

The base structure 109 can be coated with an elastomeric layer 506. The elastomeric layer 506 can be uniformly or substantially uniformly applied to the exposed outer surfaces of the wall assembly 108 and the liner 104 attached thereto, which forms the base structure 109. The elastomeric layer 506 can fully encapsulate the base structure 109, thereby, eliminating fluid communication between the base structure 109 and the environment outside of the elastomeric layer 506. For example, the elastomeric layer 506 can fully encapsulate the base structure 109, resulting in a seamless, fluid- tight shell. The elastomeric layer 506 can also adhere directly to and/or at least partially penetrate the material of the outer surface of the base structure 109.

The elastomeric layer 506 can be or include any polymeric material that can both create a fluid impermeable barrier layer and adhere directly to and/or at least partially penetrate the material of the wall assembly 108 and the liner 104. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the polymeric material can be or include polyurea. The elastomeric coating 506 can have any suitable thickness. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the elastomeric coating of the liner 104 can have a thickness about 5 mil, about 10 mil, about 15 mil, 20 mil, about 30 mil, about 40 mil to about 50 mil or more.

The elastomeric coating can be sprayed onto the wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 and/or the liner 104 in any suitable order or sequence. FIG. 7 illustrates an example method 700 for forming the portable containment unit 102. The method 700 can include selecting a size of portable containment unit (702) to construct based on the desired application and cutting or trimming the liner material (704) to the selected size to form the liner 104. Method 700 further includes cutting or forming foam material (706), such as polyurethane foam, into the wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 sized to fit the liner 104. Method 700 further includes gluing or adhering (708) the foam wall segments 302, 304, 306, 308 to each other to form the wall assembly 108. Method 700 further includes gluing or adhering (710) the wall assembly onto the outer edges of the liner 104 to form the base structure 109. Method 700 further includes applying (712), e.g. coating or encapsulating, the base structure 109 with an elastomeric material as disclosed herein to provide the portable containment unit 102.

Although FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a method 700 for forming portable containment unit 102, various changes may be made to the method. For example, the elastomeric coating can be applied to the liner 104 and/or the sidewall assembly 108 prior to attaching the sidewall assembly 108 to the liner 104. Also, the liner 104 can be cut a selected size after the wall assembly 108 is adhered to the liner 104.

In several exemplary embodiments, the elements and teachings of the various illustrative exemplary embodiments may be combined in whole or in part in some or all of the illustrative exemplary embodiments. In addition, one or more of the elements and teachings of the various illustrative exemplary embodiments may be omitted, at least in part, and/or combined, at least in part, with one or more of the other elements and teachings of the various illustrative embodiments.

Any spatial references such as, for example, “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “between,” “bottom,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “angular,” “upward,” “downward,” “side-to-side,” “left-to-right,” “left,” “right,” “right-to-left,” “top-to-bottom,” “bottom-to-top,” “top,” “bottom,” “bottom-up,” “top-down,” etc., are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the specific orientation or location of the structure described above.

In several exemplary embodiments, while different steps, processes, and procedures are described as appearing as distinct acts, one or more of the steps, one or more of the processes, and/or one or more of the procedures may also be performed in different orders, simultaneously and/or sequentially. In several exemplary embodiments, the steps, processes and/or procedures may be merged into one or more steps, processes and/or procedures. In several exemplary embodiments, one or more of the operational steps in each embodiment may be omitted. Moreover, in some instances, some features of the present disclosure may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Moreover, one or more of the above-described embodiments and/or variations may be combined in whole or in part with any one or more of the other above-described embodiments and/or variations.

Although several exemplary embodiments have been described in detail above, the embodiments described are exemplary only and are not limiting, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many other modifications, changes and/or substitutions are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications, changes and/or substitutions are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims. In the claims, any means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A containment unit, comprising: a liner comprising a geotextile material and an outer perimeter; a wall assembly adhered to an upper surface of the geotextile material and on the outer perimeter of the liner to form a base structure, the wall assembly comprising a foam material; and a layer of elastomeric material encapsulating the base structure.
 2. The containment unit of claim 1, wherein the foam material is a memory foam material.
 3. The containment unit of claim 1, wherein the foam material is a rigid foam material.
 4. The containment unit of claim 2, wherein the foam material is a polyurethane foam.
 5. The containment unit of claim 1, wherein the wall assembly has a height of at least about 1 inch and the geotextile material has a density from about 4 oz/yd² to about 16 oz/yd².
 6. The containment unit of claim 1, wherein the wall assembly is adhered to the upper surface of the geotextile material via a fluid permeable adhesive.
 7. The containment unit of claim 1, wherein the wall assembly comprises two or more segments that are adhered to one another via a fluid permeable adhesive.
 8. The containment unit of claim 1, wherein the layer of elastomeric material creates a fluid impermeable barrier and adheres directly to an outer surface of the base structure.
 9. The containment unit of claim 8, wherein the elastomeric material is polyurea.
 10. The containment unit of claim 9, wherein the layer of polyurea has a thickness of about 30 mil to about 150 mil.
 11. A containment unit, comprising: a liner having an outer perimeter; a wall assembly adhered to an upper surface on the outer perimeter of the liner to form a base structure, the wall assembly and the liner comprising an open-cell foam material; and a layer of elastomeric material encapsulating the base structure.
 12. The containment unit of claim 11, wherein the open-cell foam material is a polyurethane foam.
 13. The containment unit of claim 11, wherein the wall assembly is adhered to the liner via a fluid permeable adhesive.
 14. The containment unit of claim 11, wherein the wall assembly comprises two or more segments that are adhered to one another via an adhesive.
 15. The containment unit of claim 11, wherein the elastomeric material layer is a fluid impermeable barrier layer that at least partially penetrates the open-cell foam material of the wall assembly and the liner, and the elastomeric material is polyurea.
 16. A method of constructing a containment unit, the method comprising: connecting two or more wall segments to form a wall assembly, each of the wall segments comprising an open-cell foam material; connecting the wall assembly to an upper surface of an outer perimeter of a liner to form a base structure, the liner comprising a geotextile material or a foam material; and spraying the base structure with an elastomeric material to form the containment unit.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the open-cell foam material is a polyurethane foam.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein connecting the two or more wall segments to form the wall assembly comprises gluing the two or more wall segments together with an adhesive.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein connecting the wall assembly to the upper surface of the outer perimeter of the liner comprises gluing the wall assembly to the upper surface with an adhesive.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the elastomeric material comprises polyurea. 